Ground-effect vehicle or other movable body

ABSTRACT

From the elongated platform of an air-cushion vehicle depend a plurality of cushion containing skirts alined behind each other in two parallel rows on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis, with each skirt of one row being paired with a corresponding skirt of the other row at a same longitudinal level along said rows. Two lift fans are fitted on the platform at a same longitudinal level and on both sides of the longitudinal axis. The discharge of each fan is fractionated and connected via a ramified ducting to the individual skirt contained cushions of the row on the same side as said fan.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Jean 11. Benin Neuilly-sur-Seine,Seine, France [211 App]. No. 498,432 [22] Filed Oct. 20, 1965Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 165,634, Jan. 11, 1962, now Pat. No.3,263,764. [45] Patented Oct. 27, 1970 [73] Assignee Societe Bertin &Cie

Parls, France a company of France [32] Priority Jan. 17, 1961,.Iune 30,1961 [33] France [31 1 849,877 and 866,604

[54] GROUND-EFFECT VEHICLE OR OTHER MOVABLE BODY 9 Claims, 4 DrawingFigs.

[52] U.S.Cl 180/121, l80/l I8 [51] Int. Cl 860v 1/06, B60v H16 [50]Field ofSearch .1 l80/7FS, 121, 118, 1 16 [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 986,766 3/191 1 Schroeder 180/7X 3,052,483 9/1962Petersen... ISO/7 3,124,209 3/1964 Flipse 180/7 Primary Examiner-A.Harry Levy Attorney-Stevens, Davis, Miller and Mosher CLAIM: claim 1. Aground effect vehicle comprising a horizontal support frame which isintended to travel across a surface in spaced substantially parallelrelationship thereto, and comprising: downwardly projecting wall meansdefining at least three laterally disposed noncommunicating plenumchambers each having an open lower discharge opening adjacent to saidsurface and an inlet opening spaced from said discharge opening foradmitting a fluid stream from a ducted fan discharge flow into saidplenum chambers, a ducted fan comprising a rotary fluid impellersurrounded by a shroud, said impeller including leading and trailingedges, at least three stationary arcuately-spaced partition meansoriginating from leading ends which extend just to the rear of saidimpeller trailing edges and which subdivide said fan discharge flow asit originates into at least three arcuately'spaced discrete fractions.and defining at least three separate noncommunicating discrete fluidflow paths from immediately adjacent said impeller trailing edges andinto respective ones of said plenum chambers whereby said plenumchambers are respectively and discretely supplied with said fandischarge flow fractions.

Put elated Oct. 27, 1970 Shoat GROUND-EFFECT VEHICLE OR OTHER MOVABLEBODY This is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No.165,634 filed Jan. I l, 1962 now Pat. No. 3,263,764.

This invention relates to ground-effect vehicles or the like which aresustained at a small height above a ground, sea or other surface, bycompressed fluid cushions, and is more particularly concerned with thestability of such craft.

Flight testing-has shown that such vehicles are usually unstable andthat they tend to oscillate in a combined pitching and rolling motionwhen traveling over rough ground. It has additionally been found thateven directional stability cannot be ensured in an absolutelysatisfactory fashion by the use of fins, as ground irregularities willin certain cases set up instantaneous transverse components in thesustaining force or lift.

The main object of the invention is to improve the natural stability ofground-effect vehicles sustained basically on gaseous cushions, withoutincreasing the rated gas flow required for sustentation. This object isattained according to the invention by the use of a plurality ofdiscrete gaseous cushions confined by distinct bounding means and,- incombination with said discrete gaseous cushions, means for supplyingdiscretely compressed atmospheric air to each of said cushions.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sustentationpowerplant comprises an engine driving two blowers or fans, each ofwhich is provided with several--for example threedischarge ductsrespectively and discretely supplying a corresponding number ofelemental air cushions. The blowers or fans are conveniently axial-flowcompressors having a shroud divided downstream of the rotor by means ofradial partitions into the required number of discharge ducts andprovided with orientable stator guide vanes.

Other advantages and objects of the invention will appear in thefollowing description with reference to the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a vehicle according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is across section of a compressor, taken along line Il-ll of FIG.3, just to the rear of the rotor;

FIG. 3 is a plan view from the top of FIG. 2, showing a control linkage;and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section of a partition, taken along line lV-IVofEFIG. 2

Referring to FIG. I, the vehicle comprises a platform 1 from theunderface of which depend six skirts which define plenum chambers 2which, when supplied with compressed air, laterally bound as manyelemental air cushions which sustain the vehicle above the ground or seasurface in a known manner.

This compressed air supply is delivered'by two fans 23a and 23b of theaxial-flow type, which are mechanically driven by a common motor 24 bymeans of belts such as 12. The fans are provided with shrouds 25a and25b so that the assembly of each fan with the respective shroudconstitutes a ducted fan, and with a row of pivotable stator guide vanes26a, 26b designed for controlling the discharge pressure of the fans ina known manner, as described for instance in .lendrassik 2,305,3l l. Thestarboard fan 23b is shown with its shroud 25b open and its driving beltremoved.

FIGS. 2 to 4 illustrate constructive details common to both ducted fansand therefore the reference indices a and b supplementing the referencenumerals used in FIG. 1 have been omitted in FIGS. 2 to 4, the samereference numerals being used however to designate the same members inevery FIG.

Radial partitions 27, numbering three per fan, extend just to the rearof the rotor and as clearly shown on FIG. 2, subdivide the dischargeside of the ducted fan into three arcuately adjacent portions extendingover about 120 of the circle formed by the cross section of shroud 25.At these three portions of the discharge side of each ducted fanrespectively originate three discrete feed passages 28 which lead torespective air cushions bounded by the skirts 2. It is to be understoodthat the arcuately adjacent portions 28 need not be shaped as sectors ofa circle as in the embodiment of FIG. 2, they beingsusceptible tovarious configurations and'the essential feature being that they provideseparate and discrete discharge openings for the fan. I

The pivotable vanes 26 are grouped into said sectors (three in thepresent example) which correspond to the feed passages 28 bounded by thepartitions 27. The vanes 26 of each sector are interconnected through acontrol linkage comprising (see also FIG. 3): a crank 3 fast with thepivot 4 of each vane and actuated, through a ball-and-socket joint 5, bya transmission arm 6 under the control of a jack 7 which is pivotallymounted on the casing at 8 and whose operating rod 9 is coupled, bymeans of a ball-and-socket joint 10, to a slide integral with the arm 6.

Therefore in the givenexample, there will be three similar vane controllinkages for each fan with three separate operating jacks.

It will be appreciated that a simultaneous actuation of the jacks 7 totilt all the vanes 26 associated to either fan'will thus enable thedischarge air flow of either fan to be varied with respect to that ofthe other and the platform to be thereby tilted about its roll axis,whereas a tilting of the vanes 26 of one sector only, while notappreciably affecting the flow through the other sectors, will enablethe platform to be tilted about its pitch axis.

Of course, the mechanical linkage for controlling the pivotable vanes 26as described above is just an illustrative example and other controlsystems could be used for this purpose, such as the'system described in.lendrassik 2,305,3 ll already mentioned. or again the means commonlyused in helicopters for varying the incidence of the rotor blades.

By thus providing-the vehicle with three or more discrete plenumchambers bounded by skirts such as 2 and supplying compressed airseparately to the several chambers by discrete feed passages such as 28,the flow of pressure fluid from one plenum chamberinto another isavoided. Hence any casual pressure variation in any of the plenumchambers, such for example as a loss of pressure occurring when a plenumchamber passes over a ditch, leaves the pressure obtaining in the otherplenum chambers practically unaffected. The stability and load-carryingcapacity of the vehicle is thereby markedly increased.

In referring to the plenum chambers bounded by skirts and feed passages28 being discrete-Z it is meant that the chambers and feed passagesareso isolated from one another that casual pressure variation in oneplenum chamber will not, to any substantial extent, be transferred orreflected through the feed system to other plenum chambers.

In accordance with the present invention, this discreteness" of thesupply flow paths to the respective fluid cushions notwithstanding theuse of a commonsource of pressure fluid, is achieved by partitioningsaid paths from their very origin, i.e., right at the source itself, bymeans of the partitions 27 which extend up to just to the rear of therotor" as expressed hereinabove, this expression meaning that, asidefrom the unavoidable clearance between a stator and a rotor. no bridgingroom is'left therebetween of such an extent as to allowpressuretransfers throughout the supply system, thereby obviating the veryconcept of discreteness which is the basis of the present invention.

I claim:

l. A ground effect vehicle comprising a horizontal support frame whichis intended to travel across a surface in spaced substantially parallelrelationship thereto, and comprising: downwardly projecting wall meansdefining at least three laterally disposed noncommunicating plenumchambers each having an open lower discharge opening adjacent to saidsurface and an inlet opening spaced from said discharge opening foradmitting'a'fluid stream from a ducted fan discharge flow into saidplenum chambers, a ducted fan comprising a rotary fluid impellersurrounded by a'shroud, said impeller including leading and trailingedges, at least three stationary arcuatelyspaced partition meansoriginating from leading ends which extend just to the rear of saidimpeller trailing edges and which subdivide said fan discharge flow asit originates into at least threearcuately-spaced discrete fractions,and defining at least three separate noncommunicating discrete fluidflow paths from immediately adjacent said impeller trailingedges andinto respective ones of said plenum chambers whereby said plenumchambers are respectively and discretely supplied with said fandischarge flow fractions.

2. .Vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said partition leading endsare substantially equiangularly distributed.

3. Vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further compn ralityof guide vanespositioned intermediate said partition means and having each a leadingedge extending downstream of and immediatelyadjacent said impellertrailing edges.

4. Vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein said guide vanes are pivotallymounted for angular adjustment thereof.

5; Vehicle as claimed in claims, further comprising sing a pluseparatecontrol means foradjusting the angularsetting of the pivotal vanes ineach interpartition space, whereby the vanes in any such space arecontrollable independently of the vanes in any other such space.

6. Vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fan is of the axial-flowtype, said shroud is of circular crosssection. and said partitionleading ends extend radially therein to divide said circular crosssection into discrete sectors.

= 7. lna ground effect vehicle having asupportframe spaced a 7 above asurface along which said vehicle is designed to travel,

, downwardly projecting wall means depending from said frameforlaterally bounding at least one group ofthreedistinct plenum chamberseach having an open lower endadjacent to said surface and a closedend'remote therefrom, air inlet means formed in said closed end andopening respectively into each of said plenum chambers, the improvementcomprising at least one duct carried by said support frame and ofsubstantially circular cross section with an intake side-open to thestmosphere and a discharge side, means positioned at said discharge sidefor dividingthe sameyinto three separate and distinct portions atsubstantially l20- arcuately-spaced =rels- 1 tion with respect to eachother and communicating respectively with said air inlet means of saidthree plenum, chambers of said group, a fan housed in said duct upstreamof and immediately adjacent said discharge; dividing means. and meansfor rotating said fan. y

8. in a ground effect vehicle having asupport frame spaced above asurface along which said vehicle is designed to travel,

downwardly projecting wall means-depending from said frame for laterallybounding two groups; each :formed of three distinct plenum chambers eachhaving an open lower end adjacent to said surface and a closed endremote therefrom, air

inlet means formed in said closed end and opening respectively into eachof said plenum chambers, the improvement comprising two separate ductseach carried by said support frame and of substantially circular crosssection with an intake side open to the atmosphere and a discharge side,means positioned at said discharge, side of each of said ducts fordividing

1. A GROUND EFFECT VEHICLE COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL SUPPORT FRAME WHICHIS INTENDED TO TRAVEL ACROSS A SURFACE IN SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLELRELATIONSHIP THERETO, AND COMPRISING: DOWNWARDLY PROJECTING WALL MEANSDEFINING AT LEAST THREE LATERALLY DISPOSED NONCOMMUNICATING PLENUMCHAMBERS EACH HAVING AN OPEN LOWER DISCHARGE OPENING ADJACENT TO SAIDSURFACE AND AN INLET OPENING SPACED FROM SAID DISCHARGE OPENING FORADMITTING A FLUID STREAM FROM A DUCTED FAN DISCHARGE FLOW INTO SAIDPLENUM CHAMBERS, A DUCTED FAN COMPRISING A ROTARY FLUID IMPELLERSURROUNDED BY A SHROUD, SAID IMPELLER INCLUDING LEADING AND TRAILINGEDGES, AT LEAST THREE